Lady of Heaven Read Online Free PDF Page B

squeezed her hand; her sweet dimpled smile absolutely had him
hooked. “I’d be happy to.”
    Now her smile
was real. “Thanks,” she said, pulling her hand free and turning for the road.
“It’s back at the house.  Can you stay for dinner?”
    “I’d love to,”
he told her, following her as she moved back towards the road. “So you intend
to ply me with food and wine in exchange for my services?”
    She grinned, an
expression he found flirtatious and sweet. “No,” she shook her head. “Dinner is
an added bonus to make up for our rough start. I’ll let you read the journal,
too.  In fact, maybe you can help me piece this whole thing together.”
    The rain was
coming down in sheets as they moved onto the road that led back to the manor
house almost two miles away.  In spite of the weather and the fact that he was
cold, Fox was feeling giddy and warm in the presence of a beautiful woman. As
the rain came down, Morgan settled in beside him with the hood pulled down over
her head. Fox felt an odd sense of contentment as they walked together in the
pouring rain.
    “It’s an
interesting story, I have to admit,” he said. “You must have a very analytical
mind to have figured it all out.”
    Morgan shrugged.
“It wasn’t difficult,” she replied. “You’ll see that when you read the
journal.”
    He nodded
faintly, alternately watching her lowered head and the road beyond.  They
walked in silence for a few moments before he spoke.
    “At the risk of
getting off the subject,” he ventured, “what does Morgan Sherburn do back in
America? Wait; let me guess. You’re a television model.”
    She peered up at
him with a strange look on her face, although she was grinning. “A television
model?” she repeated. “What’s that?”
    He shrugged his
big shoulders. “You know,” he made weird box-shapes in the air with a wet hand.
“Those beautiful women who work on game shows. Aren’t all the game shows made
in Los Angeles?”
    She giggled,
stepping around a large puddle. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I guess so. But
in answer to your question, I am not a television model. I’m a cop.”
    His eyebrows
flew up. “What?” he exclaimed softly. “You’re the dibble?”
    She looked at
him strangely. “The what ?”
    “It means the
police.”
    “Oh,” she
laughed softly. “Yes, I am. For nine years.”
    “Nine years!” he
looked stricken. “Good God, I don’t believe it. How in the world did you get
into that line of work?”           
    She shrugged.
“I’ve always wanted to help people.”
    “Oh.” There
wasn’t much he could say to that, although it was clear that he was still
surprised. “And your husband let you?”
    Morgan should
have suspected it was a leading question but she really didn’t care. She gave
him a sidelong glance. “I’m not married. Even if I was, like he’d have any say
in the matter.”
    Fox lifted his
eyebrows. “I can’t imagine he would.”
    “You would be
correct, sir.”
    He snorted and
she grinned. “And you, Dr. Henredon?” she asked pleasantly, much more
comfortable with the man now than she had been just a few minutes earlier.
“What made you become an Egyptologist?”
    He watched his
feet as they moved along the muddy road. “Because my great-grandparents were
like yours,” he said frankly. “They traveled to Egypt many times during the
early part of the century and amassed quite a collection of artifacts. I grew
up around it and it always fascinated me.”
    Morgan jumped
when a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky; the sun was going down and
the landscape was becoming shadowed and creepy.
    “Where did you
grow up?” she asked, eyeing the flickering sky.
    “A town in
Dorset called Dorchester,” he replied. “My parents still live there.”
    “And your
great-grandparents?”
    “Passed on,” he
replied, grinning when she inadvertently jumped against him as another
lightning bolt streaked across the sky. “You know,